Chapter 11 - 10: Lin Family

Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Lin Family

Although Yin Mountain County was prosperous, it was ultimately just a small, secluded place. While there were quite a few Voiders and foreign merchants around, those in the entire county who could speak even a few words of a foreign language were exceedingly rare. Moreover, the newcomer wasn’t speaking the English commonly heard in Europe, but rather French, a language much more obscure in this day and age. Let alone Yin Mountain County, even in the entire province, the number of people who could understand French could probably be counted on one hand.

For a moment, the crowd gathered in front of the Lin Mansion exchanged blank looks, as if listening to an alien tongue.

But Lu Jing’an understood.

She was cursing him out, and the words were incredibly foul. Before he came to this era, he had majored in languages. Later, because he worked in cross-border e-commerce, he had a decent grasp of English, French, and German. He might not have been a master, but he was more than capable of handling daily communication and seeing right through a few curses.

His eyes darkened. He looked toward the source of the crisp yet caustic voice, only to see a young woman gracefully stepping out from behind the vermilion doors of the Lin Mansion.

She wore clothes influenced by the current Western trends—a pale lotus-colored blouse with wide trumpet sleeves, paired with a matching skirt and overlaid with a dark violet long vest. On her feet was a pair of polished Void World leather shoes. Her entire ensemble clashed completely with the people around her, exuding the modern aura of someone who had returned from studying abroad.

Lu Jing’an recognized her immediately. This was the eldest daughter the Lin family was trying to force upon him, Lin Qingyi. However, nowadays, she much preferred others to call her by her foreign name, Pearl.

Lu Jing’an initially wanted to snap back in French right then and there, but his mind raced, and he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. Turning his head abruptly, he glared at the apologetic Lin Shouxin with feigned anger and aggressively demanded, "Is she insulting me?"

Lin Shouxin’s heart clenched. He hurriedly bowed and explained, cold sweat practically beading on his forehead, "Eldest Young Master Lu, please don’t misunderstand!

"This—this is how the Voiders greet people and show goodwill! Qingyi is just saying hello to you!"

The anger on Lu Jing’an’s face softened slightly, as if he actually bought this nonsense. He then put on the appearance of an eager learner, parroting the exact curses Lin Qingyi had just spewed. Using a bizarre accent, he repeated them word-for-word, a full three times, in a "friendly" manner toward Lin Shouxin.

"..."

The smile on Lin Shouxin’s face instantly froze. His expression turned green, then pale, as if he had swallowed a live fly. Yet, he could only brace himself and nod repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word of protest. His life and entire fortune were tightly gripped in the Lu family’s hands; at this moment, his only choice was to swallow his pride and act subservient.

Only after Lu Jing’an had had his fill of fun did Lin Shouxin wipe his sweat, turn to his daughter, and harshly scold, "Qingyi! Come over here and greet Eldest Young Master Lu at once! What kind of behavior is this?!"

Lin Qingyi merely threw Lu Jing’an a disdainful glance and continued to speak in French, acting as if there was no one else around.

"Father, why must we fear this country bumpkin?

"I’ve already spoken on the phone with my close friend from my time studying abroad, Peter from the Xiaoshan Li Family.

"He promised to arrange for us to leave Yin Mountain County as soon as possible."

Hearing this, a gleam of irrepressible hope flashed in Lin Shouxin’s eyes.

Lu Jing’an took all of this in, but his face instantly clouded over with the indignation of someone kept in the dark. Raising his voice an octave, he shouted, "What is she muttering about now?

"Is she picking on me just because I don’t understand this bird chatter?!"

Although Lin Shouxin felt a surge of hope from his daughter’s words, he still had to carefully handle the god of plague standing before him. He quickly slapped on an apologetic smile and placated, "Eldest Young Master Lu, she definitely doesn’t mean that! Absolutely not! It’s my fault for spoiling her; she doesn’t know the rules."

As he spoke, he desperately shot pointed looks at Lin Qingyi.

Unfortunately, Lin Qingyi completely ignored him. Her tone grew increasingly contemptuous as she rattled off in rapid French.

"I will never apologize to a hick like him!

"Does he even understand? Even if I curse him to his face, what can he do about it?

"In just a few days, the sky will be the limit for us. Why should we keep subjecting ourselves to the Lu family’s whims?"

Seeing Lu Jing’an’s face grow increasingly stormy, Lin Shouxin frantically bowed in apology, practically dropping to his knees.

"We’re leaving!" Lu Jing’an appeared furious as he flicked his sleeves and spun around. Before storming off, he barked at his attendants, "Immediately! Go find me a tutor who understands this bird chatter! I want to know exactly what kind of bullshit she’s spewing!"

Watching Lu Jing’an’s furious departure, the corners of Lin Qingyi’s mouth curled into a deeply sarcastic smirk.

The moment Lu Jing’an was gone, Chen Xuan, who had been silently watching the entire time, coldly issued his orders. "Take the body of Nine-fingered Yama away! Lock down the scene! Without my order, people are only allowed to enter the Lin Mansion, not leave! Anyone who dares to disobey—" He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Lin family. "Will be killed without mercy!"

Lin Shouxin immediately panicked. "Military Officer Chen! This is an injustice! This matter truly has nothing to do with the Lin family! Military Officer Chen..."

However, Chen Xuan completely ignored his pleas and turned to stride away.

At the corner of the intersection, a black Void World car sat idling quietly. The window rolled down, revealing a grinning Lu Jing’an.

"Master, get in."

Chen Xuan opened the door and slid into the seat, and the car slowly pulled away.

"Were you just putting on an act back there?" Chen Xuan asked hesitantly, looking at Lu Jing’an, whose entire demeanor had completely changed.

Lu Jing’an’s lips curled up slightly, without a trace of his previous reckless indignation. "If I hadn’t made it convincing, why would they leak all their trump cards right to my face?"

"You actually understood what she was saying, Young Master?"

Lu Jing’an nodded. "I know a thing or two." He then relayed Lin Qingyi’s words to Chen Xuan exactly as she had spoken them.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan’s expression turned grave. "The Xiaoshan Li Family. This is a matter of great consequence and must be immediately reported to the Master for a decision."

Lu Jing’an murmured in agreement and leaned back in his seat. He knew full well that this incident with Nine-fingered Yama had already offered a glimpse into just how ruthless and seasoned his father, Lu Huaiqian, truly was.

Meanwhile, inside the Lin Mansion, Lin Shouxin paced back and forth in the parlor, fuming with anger. The soles of his shoes struck the blue bricks, creating a rapid, sharp rhythm.

"You! I told you not to provoke him, but you just wouldn’t listen! Now look at us! We can’t even step out our own front door!"

Lin Qingyi, completely unfazed, simply stated, "What are you so afraid of? We’ll be leaving soon anyway."

"Leave? You make it sound so easy! Without the Lu family’s nod, we couldn’t fly out of Yin Mountain County even if we sprouted wings!" Lin Shouxin abruptly halted his pacing and lowered his voice. "Furthermore, even if we reach Xiao Mountain, is the Li family really so benevolent? We have no roots and no foundation there. Why would they think highly of us? I fear we’ll just be leaping out of the tiger’s den and straight into a wolf’s lair!"

Lin Qingyi finally looked up, brimming with confidence. "Don’t worry, Father, I’ve already made the necessary arrangements. Peter and I are deeply in love; the moment we reach Xiao Mountain, we will get married. The Li family will provide the capital to help us re-establish our household, and we’ll simply return to our old trade. Besides..."

She dropped her voice, a hint of smugness lacing her words. "I also contacted a former classmate who works at Citibank. After liquidating our assets in Yin Mountain County, we will deposit every last penny into the Void Bank. Without your signature, no one can touch those funds. No matter how powerful the Li family is, would they truly dare to mess with the Voiders’ vault?"

Lin Shouxin’s eyes flickered upon hearing this; he was clearly tempted. In these times, the Voiders were the greatest protective umbrella there was. Depositing their Yin Mountain County wealth into a secure Void Trading House and using the Li family’s capital to restart their business—this was indeed a strategy that offered the best of both worlds.

"Is the Li family’s eldest son truly willing to officially marry you?" This was Lin Shouxin’s final reservation.

"Of course. Peter and I pledged ourselves to each other back when we were at Cambridge," Lin Qingyi replied with unwavering certainty.

Lin Shouxin pondered for a moment before finally making up his mind. "Alright! Have the Li family send over a formal betrothal letter as soon as possible! Having it in black and white is the only proof we can trust!"

Lin Qingyi knit her elegant brows. "Father, ours is a modern marriage. We don’t subscribe to such outdated dregs..."

"Shut up!" Lin Shouxin snapped, cutting her off. "This is Yin Mountain, not your France! This betrothal letter is not just your Protective Talisman; it is a life-saving talisman for the entire Lin family! Only with it in hand will the Lu family refrain from acting rashly. Only then can we leave in peace! Go make that phone call right now!"

Seeing her father’s resolute attitude, Lin Qingyi had no choice but to begrudgingly get up and make the arrangements.

Left alone in the hall, Lin Shouxin anxiously rubbed his fingers together. The Lu family had established their dominance by killing a man right at the gates of the Lin Mansion today. Their warning couldn’t be any clearer. They absolutely could not stay in Yin Mountain County. Although the Xiaoshan Li Family was not the ideal choice, it was their only path to survival at present. He had to quietly liquidate the properties on hand as quickly as possible. He absolutely could not let the Lu family seize any leverage. And that massive sum of money had to be deposited into the impenetrable Void Bank at the very first opportunity.